Transcend MP710 Media Player Review

It’s the end of 2017. Dude, why would you even bother getting a standalone MP3 player, and you’re doing much worse than 8GB. Just why? Well, for what it’s worth, there’s beauty in things made for specific purposes, and the thing we have right here wants to do just that. Transcend’s MP710 is a media player designed for your music leisure during your workout, and it does so while keeping track of your fitness goals.

It’s the end of 2017. Dude, why would you even bother getting a standalone MP3 player, and you’re doing much worse than 8GB. Just why? Well, for what it’s worth, there’s beauty in things made for specific purposes, and the thing we have right here wants to do just that. Transcend’s MP710 is a media player designed for your music leisure during your workout, and it does so while keeping track of your fitness goals.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions	88mm x 44.3mm x 10mm (3.46" x 1.74" x 0.39")
Weight	39g (1.38 oz)
Capacity	8GB
Display Type and Size	2" Full color TFT screen
Display Resolution	240 x 320
Music Formats	MP3, WAV, WMA
Recording Format	PCM (WAV)
Photo Formats	JPEG, BMP
Video Formats	AMV, AVI
E-Book Format	TXT
Price	$60

PACKAGING

Transcend is keeping it simple and presentable here – the MP710 arrives in quite a large box for its size, with the MP710 itself inside a plastic encasing to give you a glimpse of its design.

 

Once you remove it from the packaging, you’ll be greeted with the MP710, coupled in with a number of inclusions such as earphones, lanyard, extra earbuds, a USB cable, line-in audio cable, and paperwork for pamphlets and warranty info.

DESIGN

The MP710 is a familiar sight – it looks similar to the iPod days of old, but with few additional buttons and ports to bring in more features. Its display is a 2-inch TFT display with a 240 x 320 resolution, and below that are the buttons for primary controls.

On the other hand, if you’re not a fan of plastic, the MP710 may not be your thing. It’s basically made of plastic, but it adds up to its lightness. Durability is also not too much of an issue here – it’s not as flimsy despite its plastic casing, and you can even attach a lanyard strap to keep it from falling out.

USER EXPERIENCE

When it comes to music playback, the MP710 does play a couple of formats such as MP3, WAV, WMA, AMV, and AVI. Nothing on FLAC, though. But it’s pretty much expected given its intended purpose. You can also view images in JPEG and BMP, and read E-Books in TXT format. There’s also a radio function here, but I doubt this is going to be of much use to you. Capacity on the other hand looks limiting at 8GB, and we wish there would be a way to expand the storage through a microSD card slot. But on the other hand, it does have enough room to make for your playlist.

Transcend claims that the battery life can last you up to 28 hours. And on our run with it, we pretty much got around to 22 hours. Decent enough to last you for your workout, and you can charge it through its microUSB port when you're done running.

Now, as a fitness tracker, it pretty much tracks your steps and your goals. You can setup your profile on the Settings page for your Body Info, as well as set your goals in steps, distance, calorie, and time for your workout.

CONCLUSION

A product such as this, considering that you mainly use your smartphones for all your multimedia needs on mobile, is out of the practicality question. However, if you’re looking for specific niche devices specifically made for specific purposes, then the MP710 can be your thing. To put it simply, not everyone would want to bring their phones with them at all times, and in cases like jogging around, something that’s light and more portable with be more up your alley. And that’s what the Transcend MP710 is all about.